Adventures in Babysitting
by AT Fan
Summary: What was Sam like as a child and how did Hammond come to know her? PreStargate fic five year old Samantha Carter meets her godfather in 1974, 5 years after Hammond meets SG1 in 1969 No pairing Chapter 3 and 4 now posted
1. The birthday

Pre-Season One. 1974.  
Spoilers: 1969.  
A/N Dedicated to JenCamp because a line in her fic inspired this slightly strange plot bunny  
Special thanks to Toomi my beta. She is so great and I just keep giving her more work. Damn muse.  
Pairing -none  
General fic with Sam(much younger) Jacob, George Hammond

"No no no no. I am not going to wear that. No way daddy." The irate 5 year old Sam Carter screamed.

Jacob was at his wits end, as his wife, Elizabeth, had gone to take Mark to the doctor for a checkup, and he was left trying to get Sam dressed and ready to go to her first birthday party.

"Sammie, all the other girls will be wearing dresses since it's a party. "

"I don't care dresses are for sissies. Even Mark says so. And don't call me Sammie, daddy. I hate that name."

"That is your name, Samantha, and I just shortened to Sammie, I like it." Jacob just wanted to get her in the dress, not have an argument

"I like Sam better" She was stubborn, just like him.

"Sam is a boy's name." Perhaps if he distracted her with her conversation, getting the dress on would be easier.

"No. Short for Samantha."

"But Sam is also a boys name." 

"Is not." Samantha's arguments had faded to two word sentences, punctuated with a stomp on the floor.

"Is so."

"Is not."

"Samantha I am not playing that game with you." She squirmed out of his reach, and out of the dress that Jacob had managed to get over her head. "Sammie..."

"Daddy, Please"

"Your mother bought the dress so you could wear it to the party." 

Sam climbed up on her father's lap and smiled at him with her big blue eyes so serious even for someone so young. Her long blond hair was gently brushing his cheek and he knew he would give in to her. When she looked at him like that he couldn't refuse her anything.

"But I want to wear my jeans. I can't climb trees or play in the fort in a dress. I could wear it for church instead." She had thought of a compromise and pleaded with her father. She really wasn't going to wear it anywhere, at least not without a fight, but she kept that information to herself.

Jacob couldn't argue with her logic. She would probably be off climbing trees and doing all sorts of activities and ruin the dress. Even at five she was showing remarkable intelligence, and had taught herself to read almost 2 years ago.

"Okay Sam, we'll find some nice dress jeans you can wear, but I am going to put your hair up in pigtails."

Sam preferred to wear it down or better yet stuffed into her favorite baseball cap that used to be Mark's, but she looked at her father's determined face and decided this was one argument she wouldn't win.

"Please don't brush too hard daddy, and don't pull too tight either. It will hurt." She stood in front of him, arms crossed.

Jacob sat her on the couch and began the time consuming process of brushing her hair. He barely got started when Sam yelped.

"Ouch daddy, that hurts..." a small tear started down her freckled nose.

He decided to distract her by playing one of her favorite games.

"That was a big rat are you ready to get some more."

"Yes Daddy lets go hunting for those rats." The quick tears forgotten, she started giggling.

Whenever Sam got her hair brushed it was so fine that it tangled easily, and getting the tangles out was never fun for tender-headed Sam. To make it easier, her mother distracted her with a game of rat hunting. Let's see how many tangles, er, rats we can find and destroy, um, comb out. Her father soon learned the trick as well since Sam was so busy counting the number of tangles to worry about her hair getting pulled in the process.

Sam was up to about 20 rats when he father announced they were all done.

"Wow daddy, I think that was a new record."

Grinning to himself, he marveled at his little girl. She was adorable even in her jeans and t-shirt. Her blue eyes were so expressive, and her freckles on her cheeks and nose gave some color to her face, which lit up when she was excited about something. Her smile make her eyes sparkle and when she giggled he couldn't help but join in. Someday, he mused, my little girl is gonna break some hearts.

Lost in his thoughts he failed to notice that Sam had wandered off. He called for her hoping she hadn't gone where he thought she had. Was she in the garage again?

Ever since Mark entered a go-cart race two weeks ago, Sam had been enthralled with the go-cart. Mark didn't really like his little sister touching his stuff, but she was handy to have around when he needed someone to get a tool for him. Sam had shown an interest in all the tools and she soon recognized and was able to remember the names of all the tools in the toolbox.

Mark didn't tell his dad that Sam actually managed to fix part of the go-cart where a gear was sticking. Her little hands were able to get in and loosen the gear and fittings where Mark's hand didn't fit. He could just picture his dad saying 'what if your sister got hurt?' Luckily she hadn't, but since then she couldn't resist playing with all the fun stuff in the garage. She was sitting by the go-cart and peering under the engine hood looking at everything intensely. She didn't even notice when her dad came in the garage.

He started to call her name again when he saw her. Her small face was completely covered by the hood of the co-carts engine, but he could see blond hair sticking out and he realized that she had wiggled under the engine and was in the process of taking it apart using a wrench she had in her hand.

"Samantha Jean Carter what have I told you about playing around the go-cart." 

"Aww daddy, I wasn't going to hurt anything. I just wanted to see how it worked."

"What? Tell me your brother didn't let you stick your hand in the engine?" Jacob was angry that Mark was so careless.

"We turned it off first Daddy. It couldn't hurt me."

Secretly he was amazed that his daughter knew how to repair something and use the tools properly, but he was also worried because he knew once Sam had figured out how it worked, he was in trouble. He decided that it wasn't worth the risk.

"Sammie if I catch you near this go-cart again without either Mark or I to watch you, I will ground you, and you won't get to go to the Blue Angels next weekend. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Sir." Sam was sulking. "But I wouldn't have hurt anything. Honest. Please let me go see the cool planes. I want to be an astronaut someday so I have to see them." 

It wasn't the first time Sammie had mentioned the astronaut thing, but Jacob hoped it was just a phase she was going through. He wanted her to be happy but he knew that Sam being a girl would have a hard time being accepted to NASA. She is very smart though and if anyone could do it, Jacob believed she could.

"Ok, let's go get you cleaned up again." Jacob grabbed Sam's hand, and the two walked back to the house.  
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When Jacob and Sam returned from the party, only Elizabeth was home. Jacob and his wife were planning on going out to dinner, and Mark had gone to stay at his friend's house for the night. The sitter they had hired however had just called and informed them that she couldn't babysit, because she had strep throat. Jacob couldn't believe the timing. Here it was their anniversary, and who would they get to babysit Sam at such short notice? Going through the list of names, he came across George Hammond, his good friend and godfather to young Samantha.

"Honey, how about I ask George to watch Sammie. He is always saying how he hasn't seen Sammie since she was just a tiny baby, and he just got back from a long assignment, so he's on leave right now."

"You think he'll do it?" Elizabeth looked at him, hopeful.

"I'll call him and find out." Jacob grabbed the number, and went into the living room to make the call.

"George, this is Jacob." 

"Hi Jacob."

"I know you've only been back for a few days, but I have a favour to ask."

"What can I do for you, Jacob?"

"Could you watch Sammie tonight? Our sitter called in sick, and Elizabeth and I have dinner plans for our anniversary."

"How old is she now?" George chuckled down the line.

"Five."

"I'd be happy too. Margaret is out of town, so just bring her by and you can let her spend the night as well. That way you two can have some alone time together. You can pick her tomorrow afternoon. Our unit is having a cookout and I think she would enjoy that. Don't you?" 

"She'll love it as long as there's trees to climb, and trouble to find."

"Well bring her over. It's been years since I've seen her." George tried to remember how many years it had been.

"Thanks a lot George. You're a lifesaver. Elizabeth would never forgive if we couldn't have gone tonight. I made reservations at the new romantic restaurant overlooking the bay."

"My pleasure Jacob, and don't worry about Samantha. She will be fine."


	2. Hammond's secret

Hammond thought back to that day 4 years ago when he had the strangest experience of his young career.

He met a team called SG-1 that he was apparently in command of, who had traveled from the future Just the thought of it still brought goose bumps. They had saved his career and he could hardly believe that the self assured woman he met was Samantha Carter his God daughter and a Captain in the air force.

He chuckled when he thought of Sammie as Jacob called her, he saw a baby in diapers and pigtails with the bluest eyes he had ever seen and a smile that lit up her tiny face. He now realized that that little baby would grow up and accomplish the most amazing things traveling to other worlds through a device called a Stargate. She still had those same blue eyes and the same smile he remembered.

After that experience George was determined to get stationed where Jacob was so he could keep an eye out for young Sam Carter. It took him three years to get orders back to California but finally he arrived. He didn't want to freak Jacob out or be committed to the nearest mental facility so he kept his experience to himself and told no one.

When the phone call from Jacob came, he couldn't believe his good fortune although he knew that 5 year old Sam was nothing like her adult counterpart he couldn't help but wonder what the sweet curious baby with the bluest eyes and biggest smile was like as a child.He was about to find out.

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Flashback Three years ago

Sg-1 had just arrived in 1969 and Lt Hammond was escorting them to Washington for questioning.

As he stepped into the van . Before I am even going to even think about doing what is asked of me in this note I need to know who you people are and who sent you.?"

a woman with the bluest eyes and blond hair answered, " Oh my God, "my name is Samantha Carter and you gave me the note sir".

George did not know what to say it was dawning on him on who the woman was who was talking to him it was his god daughter Samantha, he knew it was her when he saw her smile.

They explained they were from the future and they got sent back in time. At first George didn't really believe them but as he started talking with them they knew things private things. like where he had spent the moon landing and suddenly it made sense and he believed their incredible story. Although they couldn't tell him everything just seeing Sam as a grown woman and knowing that he would someday be a general made him rethink his priorities. He had joined the Air Force so he could attend college but he didn't really plan on staying in that long. after learning a little bit about his future he decided that he wanted to be closer to Samantha and watch her grow up so he could be involved in her life.

When he woke up from the Zat blast he was initially upset that they hadn't taken him with him but he soon realized that by being knocked out they had saved him and his Air Force career. He couldn't wait to see Sam again but it took him 3 years to get orders back to California.

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George heard the doorbell ring and he answered the door standing there in pigtails and with a big smile on her face was Sam Carter.

Hello she said tentatively, her dad said this man had met her as a baby but she didn't really remember him at all.

I'm Uncle George and its good to finally see you again, I missed you,

The man bent down so he was level with Sam and said, How about I show you my fort. Sam decided that the man was nice and he didn't try to tower over her like most adults did.

Sure Uncle George, that sounds like fun.

George grinned to himself, yeah it was going to be a glorious adventure.


	3. The slumber Party

Thanks so much for my beta Toomi for all her help with this chapter. Sorry it took so long guys. Hope you enjoy it though

Set Pre-Season Stargate 5year old Sam, Jacob, Hammond

Spoilers 1969

Archive- Yes just tell me where so I can visit

The Slumber Party

George went to the door of the fort peaking in and said, "Sam….

Bewildered Sam looked out, that was weird the man she had just met Uncle George had actually called her Sam, no one ever called her that. Her stupid brother Mark called her baby and S-A-M-A-N-T-H-A when he was really upset. Her dad seemed to like Sammy best but not her.

No way, she preferred to be called Sam not Sammy and definitely not Samantha but usually no one paid attention to what she wanted. Her mom refused to call her Sam.

"Sam is a boy's name, Samantha is your name ", Mom said.

And so when this practically stranger actually called her right name, it took her by surprise.

"HHooowww did you know I liked to be called Sam?" she asked with her crystal blue eyes and blond wisps of hair peeking out of the fort's window.

Backtracking fast, George Hammond knew exactly why he had called the little girl Sam but he couldn't very well tell her. You see I met the future you and she introduced herself as Major Sam Carter; no he didn't imagine that the little girl could understand that at all. It was time for a new tactic.

"Umm….Your dad said that you liked to be called that". He said hoping that would suffice.

"Oh he usually calls me Sammy and I hate that. At that statement little Sam stuck her tongue out to illustrate exactly how much she hated being called that name.

George decided to stop any problems by saying, "Well you look more like a Sam to me", hoping that would work. To his amazement it did.

Little Sam lit up with the brightest smile he had ever seen and proudly said, "I like it much better than Samantha it is such a girly name."

Hammond was reminded of the adult Sam Carter he has met and thought, "Yes, Sam definitely fits her better."

"Okay, Sam what would like to do after you finish playing in the fort?"

She stared at him with wide eyes and asked timidly, "I get to decide?"

"Yessiree, you sure do anything you feel like doing or eating, what is your favorite food?"

"Hmm, well I like pizza and ice cream."

"How about we order some pizza first and then after you finish the pizza you can have some ice cream?"

"Okay, I'll be right there." Uncle George

The next thing he knew, a blond ball of fury had jumped out of the fort window made her way across the outside edge of the fort and shimmied down the rope ladder landing in his arms.

Whoa, the kid was fast. He figured it would take a while for her to figure out how to get down from the fort and the rope ladder was fairly difficult to climb.

This child bore little resemblance to the baby he known before only the eyes and the way her face lit up during a smile were the same as he remembered.

He was going to like getting to know this wonderful child called Sam.

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	4. The Awful Day

I t was an ordinary day in every sense of the word. Samantha or Sam as she preferred to be called had just come home from High School.. She was a Sophomore even though she was only fourteen.

Unknown to Sam at the time, this particular day would haunt her for years to come. Mark was at football practice and mom wasn't home yet either. Vaguely Sam remembered her mom telling her that she had a meeting and her father would pick her up after it. Sam started on the cookies she needed to make for the school bake sale. She mixed the dough and followed the instructions, measuring the ingredients carefully.

She and her mother often cooked together with her mom showing her little tricks of the trade like packing the brown sugar but not the white flour and scraping the top of the measuring cup with a butter knife to get an accurate amount.

Sam's favorite activity was sifting the flour she loved how the flour changed into a fine powder and the sediment of the remaining nuggets clung to the mesh. Scientifically she knew that the flour being forced against the mesh caused the dense particles to break down into finer ones and the aerated flour ensured the cookies were light and flaky. Secretly she enjoyed the puff of fine mist that settled and spun up again as the flour was sifted and the fine powder product created.

She had just put her final batch in the oven when her father came in the door looking forlorn and lost.

"Dad, what's wrong? Where's mom, weren't you supposed to pick her up?"

"Samantha, sit down I need to tell you something."

"What is it dad you're scaring me, where's mom?"

"Oh God I don't know how to tell you this, your mom, she took a taxi because I was late coming to pick her up and …."

"What dad, what happened to mom she's okay, isn't she? Is she in the hospital?"

"No…She…you see the taxi…the taxi got into an accident…"

He took a deep breath, "Your mom, she died at the scene they couldn't save her."

No no no no, this couldn't be happening her mother couldn't be dead she just saw her before she went to school and there was just no way she could be dead, but Sam looked at the devastation in her fathers' eyes and his hardened solider façade cracking.

Only the death of his wife would have been able to affect him like that.

Sam realized her father was telling the truth and her mother was dead.

If her father said anything else after that Sam didn't hear him she was too busy trying not to succumb to the overwhelming sadness that was breaking her young heart. The cookies never got eaten and Sam never set foot in the kitchen to bake or cook again.

Sam barely remembered the funeral or the wake it all passed in some weird kind of dream like state that she prayed she'd wake up from soon and everything would be how it was.

Mark became bitter and angry fighting with his father and blaming him for his mother's death. Sam still grieving herself shut off her emotions and poured herself into her studies at school. She tried to make her father proud of her but he was so lost without his wife that he immersed himself in his work and traveled a lot.

Jacob found it easier to deal with everything if he wasn't at home so he stayed gone most of the time. Being in the military it was easy to volunteer to go on missions and stay gone for months at a time.

Lucky for Sam and Mark that when Jacob left on assignment, he sent Sam's Godfather George Hammond to watch them. Sam loved her godfather and had a good relationship with him.

He told her that her father still loved Sam and her brother, Mark but right now it was too hard to be around them because they reminded him of his wife. George took Sam to the air shows and tried help cultivate her dream of flying and becoming an astronaut . He knew it wouldn't be easy with the way Jacob was acting Sam would be likely to shun the military and everything it stood for because of her father.

He was somewhat surprised to learn that Sam had become closed off emotionally and he decided to take some steps to remedy that situation. He arranged for her to attend, "Science It's a Girl Thing" a week long workshop designed for gifted and talented students pairing them with a science professional. If anything could jumpstart her interest in school and learning he hoped this would. Sam would be staying at the dorms for the duration of the program and he hoped it would rekindle her interest again.

Sam knew what Uncle George was trying to do but she just couldn't get interested in school anymore she was hurting and her mom was gone. Her dad was too lost in his own grief to help her and she needed him desperately. She was still keeping up okay but her thirst for learning was gone as was her desire. She would go to the science thing to please her uncle George but she wasn't going to like it.

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The first day she met three other girls that would be sharing her room with her they seemed nice but Sam wasn't too interested in getting to know them. All the friends she made she eventually had to say goodbye to so she just quit making them after awhile preferring to study in the library during breaks and lunch. Unfortunately one girl named

Torri wouldn't take no for an answer. Come on Sam we have to go check out the University Center and all the cute boys. Sam hadn't really had any interest in boys besides liking some of the same things they did like cars and motorcycles. Torri however was determined and Sam decided it might be easier just to let the girl drag her around than trying to dissuade her.

"Okay I'm coming", she said

"You are not wearing that Torri exclaimed horrified."

Sam had on her blue jeans and a nice oversized T-shirt.

"What's wrong with what I am wearing?"

"That shirt is too big for you and those jeans don't fit well either. You can borrow some of my clothes and then tomorrow we are going shopping."

She reluctantly changed, she had to admit the jeans were much better fitting than hers and the top she picked out was form fitting without being too revealing. Sam was still not comfortable with all her body's changes over the last year but she had noticed she wasn't as skinny as she used to be and Mark's friends seemed to notice her a lot more.

She started to put her long blond hair into it's usual ponytail but Torri stopped her saying "no, leave it down it looks better that way."

Sam in her new outfit and styled hair walked into the Center with Torri. Two other girls from the program came over and introduced themselves as well. There were two guys playing pool and Sam walked over to them. Torri wasn't that good at pool but Sam who had been playing for awhile gave her some pointers. The guys Larry and Todd were impressed by Sam's pool playing and invited her to play with them. They played in pairs and soon Sam and Torri were winning the game. They decided to meet tomorrow after the morning session.

"That was fun I am glad you talked me into it"

"You seemed sad when I met you and I wanted you to feel better."

"My mom died recently"

"oh Sam I am sorry I didn't mean to.."

"No you are right, I haven't been very happy, but thanks tonight I had fun and it took my mind off of, she hesitated not wanting to voice her emotions but needing to, well being sad. "

Torri didn't know what to say to Sam so she settled for, "You looked great in that outfit and I am glad you had fun tonight."

The week passed by quickly with Sam rediscovering her zest for learning and being challenged. Torri and she became fast friends and suddenly Sam didn't feel so sad all the time. The professors invited Sam to attend a special seminar later in the summer in Washington DC it was an opportunity to work with a leading researcher in the field of her choice. Sam loved physics and math so she chose that."

George Hammond didn't recognize the confident happy teenager who came back to him.

He was glad he had made the decision to let her go. Sam excitedly told him about the Washington seminar she had been invited to as well. She was blossoming into the confident young woman he had met in 1969. Not that he would ever tell her but he knew how important she would turn out to be for his future.

By the time she got back from Washington, she had already impressed the professors and the researcher she was working with and they invited her to be an intern for them next summer. She had barely started High School but already she had placed out of all her freshman and sophomore classes with her guidance counselor telling Hammond that she recommended dual placement next year. Sam would continue her high school courses but at the same time take course at the local college as well if she wanted to she could live in the dorm as well.

This was a good solution because Jacob was still overseas and Hammond would have to be going TAD soon as well. He felt bad leaving her but he knew that she was more than capable to stay by herself and he would visit her as often as he could.

TBC


	5. Surviving the Teen Years

Stargate SG-1

Disclaimer: Not mine Gekko, Sci-Fi, MGM just not me

Spoilers- First season

Pairings none- Pre-Stargate the series

Authors Note- I don't hate the Navy in fact I am a Navy Veteran I just thought it would be fun to play with this scenario.

The Teen Years

The next two years flew by for George Hammond between watching his goddaughter and trying to keep her interests and hobbies he was plumb wore out. Sam was no ordinary teen; she had to try to test her boundaries in a big way. She wasn't content to just be a normal teen no way, she wanted to fly and with her smile and blue ocean eyes no one could say no to her.

She kind of wished her father would pay more attention to her but she had Uncle George who spoiled her rotten and fed her love of science and flying. Truth be told, she still wanted to be an astronaut and all her energies were directed toward that goal. She still interned in Washington during the summer picking up so much advanced science and physics information she had already placed out all of her high school science classes and was dual enrolled at the local community college in San Diego.

It didn't hurt that there were plenty of opportunities for Sam (she never went by Samantha, anymore) to get some flying lessons in on the sly of course. She wasn't sure even Uncle George would have approved of her underhanded methods. She had just turned sixteen and found out with parental permission she could get a pilots' license. No regular driving license would satisfy her no she wanted to fly and God help anyone who got in her way.

She started hanging out at the North Island Base where the student pilots for the Navy were. She batted her eyes and smiled at them, they were putty in her hands soon agreeing to let her have time on the simulator and sometimes even flying with them in their jet.

She was tall for her age and they never guessed she was only sixteen. In between trying to get free lessons and simulator time, she hung around the science geeks in the flight labs helping them with computer programs and learning to hack into any government computer system. In addition to teaching her hacking they also taught her about locks and combinations turning her into a locksmith with extraordinary skills.

Hammond was aware of some of her more tame exploits and decided to confront her believing if he didn't the Air force officer he met might somehow pick the Navy instead.

Sam, "I know about the flying lessons and if you will let me, I will teach you to fly an air force jet, none of this Navy crap okay."

The Navy wasn't bad, but if Sam was aiming for the Air force program his future was more certain in his opinion. Sometimes it amazed him this little girl had grown into quite the young adult so smart so full of promise it scared him sometimes. It was a big responsibility helping her with her destiny but he knew he would never regret it or his role in her life. Jacob, his good friend never quite got over his wife's death and remained unable and unwilling to reach out to his daughter in a meaningful way.

Hammond was wondering how to keep her entertained and interested until such time as she could attend the Air force Academy. She would graduate at sixteen with a year of college already completed. She couldn't be admitted to the Academy until she was seventeen at the earliest and it seemed the flight lessons combined with full-time courses at UCSD would be just the thing to occupy her time.

Convincing Jacob was a little harder he was worried his little girl was growing up too fast and he was torn between letting her go and keeping her safe. In the end Hammond managed to convince him saying, you have to let her choose Jacob it's her life and she wants to attend the academy as well. Secretly, Jacob was pleased that Sammie wanted to attend the Academy but he couldn't help but worry for her.

Sam's flying lessons lasted most of the summer and by the time Thanksgiving came, she was ready to test for her pilots' license and solo flight qualifications. Hammond had taught her well and she tested on a trainer plane passing with flying colors. Her future had begun and she was seventeen, already a pilot and a sophomore at UCSD majoring in Physics. In August she would enter the Academy haven already been given early admission notification and begin her career in the Air force.

TBC

Author's Note: The whole Navy thing was used as a plot device, no hard feelings and I don't hate the Navy or anything.


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